I wrote up a post about the potential of a new bar (tavern) in my neighborhood and the difficulties restaurants have had getting liquor permits in the past. But you have to go here to read it 'cause it's posted on the Spokane Food Bl...
December 11, 2008
November 11, 2008
Trying to pull things together
So I've been wanting to replace the living room rug. It's a big rug, 8x10 and I'm not even sure I know what to look for in a rug. The point is, I found a rug that I like, I think I like? A rug that I'm second guessing myself on, but is a nice rug. It isn't girly and it's a nice neutral color. The urgency...
November 6, 2008
The Kitchen (as is)
Although we've lived in the house a year now, the kitchen hasn't changed since we moved in. The new flooring went in a year ago and since then we've lived with the kitchen as is. Which means the cupboard doors are off since the doors had so much paint on them they didn't operate, the microwave sits...
October 31, 2008
The house gets a little action
The new furnace was installed yesterday but I haven't gotten a look at it yet. I know that a large part of the cost of the furnace was the installation, but do you know how nice it is to come home and it's just done? Old one hauled away new one installed, hooked up to gas, electric and thermostat and they warranty their work so I don't have to worry too much about something being done wrong. I think...
October 22, 2008
I did not even make this up...
My horoscope today is:Your life is a train wreck, except the train is made of cake and ice cream.I couldn't have said it better. Except now I want cake and ice cre...
September 29, 2008
Burning oil like it's 1927!
We've been having some surprising spurts of warm weather lately, today the high is supposed to reach 82, but it is definitely fall. Last week I heard the furnace kick on when I came home from work in the morning one day too. We're still operating the oil furnace and working on the last 80 gallons from the last delivery at the end of last winter. We should have more than enough oil to last us until...
September 26, 2008
Human wrongs
I used to work for The City. It was my first "real" job with a salary and everything. Well, not everything 'cause it was only a 1/2 position and I didn't get any benefits. Anyway, I was the Human Rights Specialist for the city and my job was to manage the Human Rights Commission, and complaints against our Human Rights ordinance, and any internal education for other employees to promote human rights...
September 16, 2008
Floors: Bath
The one thing we did inside the house before we moved in last year was replace the floors in the bathroom and the kitchen. I knew that it was something that would never get done once we were living there. Both rooms had old vinyl flooring over the original linoleum and in the bathroom both were in super...
September 12, 2008
Year 1
Yesterday was the 1 year anniversary of our purchase of the house on Newark. After we bought the house last year it was still another 6 weeks until we moved in. Not becuase of renovations so much, but we just didn't have time to move. Both Paul and I were in South Pacific and with performances five days a week until the end of October it took a while to get packed and moved. We did a little work to...
September 9, 2008
What is better, old or new?
While removing the old shingles from the house during the great re-roofing of aught eight ('08) I also started the process of removing the aluminum trim added with the last roof. I think the last roof was possibly installed in the late sixties or early seventies. I meet some resistance when I insisted the aluminum be removed with cries of, "but it's low/no maintenance. You'll never have to paint."...
September 8, 2008
How to stay warm all winter with one log*
I've always been a bit of an energy control freak. Given total control of the thermostat has resulted in a 65F temp while at home and 55F while sleeping or at work. I know, that's cold. I don't heat the finished attic and closed the vents in the unused back bedroom and in the kitchen since we're in there infrequently. We have a friend who demands the heat turned up if she comes to our house. Despite...
August 26, 2008
Bonanza*
You know how some days you're all, "What! it's 4 o'clock" and realize that the work day is almost over, and then there are other days where it's, "OMG, it is only 1:32." Today is the latter. Some days there are those projects that you don't want to do, so they take even longer to do than they should, and the day feels longer than it should, so now you've wasted almost three whole days doing something...
August 11, 2008
100 most "popular" books
I stole this quiz from Camels & Chocolate (via She Like Purple).The Big Read reckons that the average adult has only read 6 of the top 100 books they've printed.Key1) Bold those you have read.2) Italicize those you intend to read. *********************** 1) Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen2) The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien3) Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte4) Harry Potter series by...
August 8, 2008
The Magic Hour
This morning I logged in to my computer at 8:08 (on 8/8/08). What does this mean? Am I destined for a lucky day, I mean everyone seems to think there is something special aboutThe Summer Olympics start today in China at 8:08 pm (in Bejing time, not here obviously, in fact, I think it's already started) I've heard of at least two people (that I know) that are having c-sections or inducing labor today...
August 5, 2008
Five Things
I am starting my own Five Things tag because I don't have any blogger friends yet to tag me.1) What were you doing 5 years ago?Five years ago...I was working for the City as the Human Rights Specialist where I facilitated the Human Rights Commission (meetings, etc), took complaints, and served as a resource for the City and community. But, all this was only a 1/2 time job, so I also worked for PJALS...
July 15, 2008
Thank You, a Lot (and things I learned)
Thank you so much to everyone that helped with the roofing project this last week. My parents, Ken, Jenny, Peter, Tim, Steve, Larry, Kent, Ron, Katie, Chris for lending the roofing nail gun, the guy who delivered the shingles, and lastly my neighbor Ed. I need to make sure I send out personal thank you cards soon to everyone. I'm finally back to the real world this week, but there's still a little...
July 3, 2008
It Goes (Comes?) Down Tomorrow
So tomorrow we start ripping off the old roof. With a 30% chance of thunderstorms. At least the temperature should cool down to 85 instead of the 90+ hotness it's been all this week. This is when you start wondering, "why don't I have an air conditioner." Then you remember that there will only be...
June 27, 2008
Sometimes it's the shape that makes it
When we lived in California the closest drug store the the house was the Thrifty's. When I was nine-years-old the best part of going shopping was getting ice cream at Thrifty's. See, the ice cream was different there. I think I got the same flavor every time because there wasn't anywhere else you...
June 24, 2008
Emile Norman documentary
I happened to catch this on PBS last night and couldn't turn it off to go to bed when I should have: Emile Norman: by his own design. You won't find much on the internet about his work beside his own website but at 90 he is still a working artist. Besides a profile of his life as an artist, the documentary...
June 23, 2008
Slow Progress
I had one of those weekends where I thought about all the things I should/could do, and then did the minimum. And I thought to myself, "at least I did something!" I'm not sure I should be patting myself on the back for that, but I'm taking those small steps.I did my laundry, which shouldn't be a big...
June 10, 2008
Introducing Ryan Jr.
Surprise! I thought Saturday was going to be a lazy rainy day, until my dad showed up at the house with a gas-powered sod cutter.A week or so ago my mom and I attacked the parking strip in front of the house with spades and removed 8-10 linear feet of sod. It was hot, and the dogs were antsy and I...
June 6, 2008
I want to be dead before I have to do it again
Number eight on the list of summer goals (in no particular order) is to replace the roof. The existing roof is obviously failing with missing shingles, granule loss, and signs of slipping/sagging shingles. I tried to get someone to come do a quote on doing a temporary winter fix to stop the leak (where...
May 30, 2008
Don't assume they know what they're doing
We have one of those Blockbuster by mail movie accounts and I've found that it's a pretty good fit. I make a long list of movies and television shows I want to watch and Blockbuster remembers it. Instead of walking slowly along the outer wall looking at every new movie and trying to decide if I'm in the mood, but maybe there's something better around the next side, I just get one in the mail from...
May 16, 2008
Taking it Back
It seems so much bigger when you measure everything in pixels but I have a plan to take my back yard from meah, to, well, functional. I really need to get a "before" picture so you can see the state of the back right now. The ramshackle grape arbor and the falling down fence thing under the other...
May 8, 2008
Summer Goals
The first 10 house projects I want to accomplish:1. Build closet organizer2. Measure and get quote on kitchen cabinets3. Hang dining room curtains4. Hang bedroom (temporary) curtains5. Scrape paint off existing kitchen cabinets6. Scrape paint off bookcase doors7. Get 2 more shelves for linen cabinet8. Replace the roof9. Draw electric circuit diagram for the house10. Have plumber replace laundry drain...
April 30, 2008
Fortune smiles
I ate a fortune cookie today and my fortune?"You will exceed your expectations"What does that say about me? Do I have low expectations of myself? I'm sure it is supposed to be along the lines of "you will do great things." I mean, who doesn't want a positive fortune. It just feels a little sad to ...
April 14, 2008
Treading on Virgin Soil
It isn't an easy thing, this first blog post. I don't have anything especially insightful to say, or any important project to document, because really nothing is good enough to be The First. Normally I would sit and think, and come up with nothing all that grand and then procrastinate. Because I...